SofTest Mock Exam/Practice Exam
ExamSoft provides two different ways to test the SofTest program to make sure it is working properly, or to practice taking an exam with SofTest. The first is the Mock Exam, the second is the Practice Exam.
These exams are for practice only. They are not to be used during an actual exam. Any essay typed using the Mock Exam or Practice Exam file will not be graded.
Mock Exam
The Mock Exam is a mock exam file that you download and run, just as you would a normal exam. Running the mock exam is the same as running a real exam, with two exceptions:
The mock exam does not have a password.
You don't get graded on what you type.
The only other difference is that you can download the mock exam file more than once. An exam file for a real exam can only be downloaded once. After that, if, for some reason, you need to download an exam file a second time, you have to contact our Faculty Support department.
The exam file for the mock exam will be included with the exam files for your real exams. You download the mock exam along with the other exam files. When you run the mock exam, you can use any four-digit number for the exam number, and there is no space for you to enter a password. When you finish with the mock exam, it will put everything you typed into an answer file, and upload it, just as it would with a real exam.
We strongly recommend that you run the mock exam after you have SofTest set up on your laptop. Run the mock exam while you are on campus. If you have any problems when running the mock exam, see your computer tech right away. We also recommend that run the mock exam within a week of your first exam. This way, you can test your computer to make sure everything is working properly just before your exam.
Practice Exam
The Practice Exam is built into the SofTest program. To run the practice exam, you don't have to download an exam file, and it does not create or upload an answer file. To run the practice exam, there is a button at the bottom of the SofTest window.
When you click this button, SofTest will start up, and give you this screen:
Click "Yes". You will then get this screen:
If you click "Yes" for a secure exam, SofTest will reboot, and put your computer into secure mode, same as when you take a real exam. If you click "No", SofTest will not reboot, and will bring up the SofTest word processor.
This is handy, if you just want to practice with the word processor, to get used to it. This way, you can run the SofTest word processor, without having to reboot your computer.
No, you cannot do this when you take your real exam. All CWSL exams are run in secure mode. If you do attempt to take a real exam using the mock exam or practice exam, your essay will not be accepted and will not be graded.
Printing Your Work
Neither the Mock Exam, nor the Practice Exam, allow you to print out your work. Whenever you take an exam using SofTest, the answers you type are printed out by the school, and given to the professors. For this reason, the capability to print is excluded in SofTest.